New Ford Mustang could get automated manual gearbox

The next-generation S650-series Ford Mustang could be in line to debut a new high-tech electronic clutch system that would remove the need for a third pedal and hand the driver fingertip control of the automated manual transmission.

The patent application for the new system was recently published on the website of the United States Patent and Trademarks Office (USPTO), however the submission from Ford was filed in December 2018.

That places the 2023 Ford Mustang that’s due to be revealed later this year as a possible candidate to debut the technology, while other performance cars are also in the frame.

The Ford Bronco could be a potential recipient of the new transmission, too, although as with any patent application from a car-maker, there may be no engineering program underway at all for a production model.

In simple terms, the automated clutch removes the need for a physical connection between a clutch pedal and the throw-out bearing, with the process instead taken care of by various sensors and computer software.

The abstract for the design reads: “A vehicle controller is programmed to automatically control operation of the clutch allowing the driver to shift gears by just operating the gear shifter.

“The vehicle also includes an input allowing the driver to override the controller and operate the clutch.

“The input is located on the gear shifter and is in electric communication with the controller.

“The controller is programmed to, inter alia, command the clutch to reduce clutch capacity responsive to receiving a signal from the sensor indicating grasping of the shifter.”

When the driver wants to change gear, all they would need to do is reach for the gear lever, press a button (or trigger a sensor) and select their next gear before releasing the button/sensor as they let go of the shifter.

Purists may argue such a system detracts from the fun or involvement of driving a traditional manual, much like the heat being generated by the new wave of flat-shifting systems – allowing drivers to stay on the accelerator during gear changes – finding their way into performance cars.

Early on in its tenure under General Motors, Saab had a stab at an automated clutch in the form of its Sensonic transmission but the execution left a lot to be desired and never really caught on in Australia.

More recently, the Kia Stonic and other compact cars from the Korean brand are offered overseas with a six-speed ‘intelligent’ manual transmission (iMT) that uses a clutch-by-wire system and electronically-actuated clutch that’s designed to “retain the driver engagement of a conventional manual”.

Ford’s new system, if it reaches production, might divide opinion, but it should be compatible with hybrid systems and could provide a lifeline for the manual transmission in an age when automatics are fast taking over.

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